The Queen and dedication to duty in the 21st Century

It’s ridiculous and I ve no idea why she can’t let the reigns go as lucca said Prince Charles is an intelligent human and deserves to at least have a few years for the job he’s given his chances of an ordinary life up for
Is it a control thing does she believe no one else is up to it ?
If she feels she can’t because she made a promise how sad is that, it’s abusive to make some an old lady keep turning the wheel
It’s not abdication at blooming 95 it’s a retirement
Have a rest lady

If other members of the family are fulfilling the role of HoS, why is she still there? There's no shame in being Queen Mother, is there? or Dowager Queen? I think its because she has been Number 1 for 70-odd years and can't imagine someone else being in that position. I can understand that, actually.

Totally agree, Alegrias1

However, senior members of the Royals have performed umpteen engagements without her being there with no ado.

This is a list of the engagements of 2019

Princess Anne: 195
Prince Charles: 177
The Queen: 174
Prince Andrew: 139
Prince Edward: 119
Prince William: 108
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent: 05
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester: 105
Prince Harry: 98
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall: 81
Sophie, Countess of Wessex: 81
Kate, Duchess of Cambridge: 56
Princess Alexandra: 43
Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester: 42

I'm sure the Queen will still be doing certain engagements but it's not as if she has ever done them all herself.

The speech that everyone keeps quoting. It was actually on the occasion of her 21st birthday and she was addressing the Commonwealth from Cape Town. Her actual words were:

My whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family.

Even if we let the "great imperial family" bit go, she never said she would hang on as HoS until the bitter end. There are many kinds of service.

If other members of the family are fulfilling the role of HoS, why is she still there? There's no shame in being Queen Mother, is there? or Dowager Queen? I think its because she has been Number 1 for 70-odd years and can't imagine someone else being in that position. I can understand that, actually.

James VII & II abdicated, as did Mary Queen of Scots and Richard II, although none of them entirely voluntarily. The last 3 monarchs of the Netherlands have all abdicated. It is really not that big a deal for most countries. British exceptionalism again.

Here in Belgium the old King handed over a few years ago, no one was struck down by lightning and things just moved along.
At a beer festival one year in the city centre, he and his family had cycled into the city(car free Sunday) and he bought beers from the stand she was on. No massive police protection and DD did not even recognise him, just said he was very polite.
Perhaps the UK should start seeing their Royals ( I have met a few) as people not gods.

I think she will need the distraction from her grief that her role gives her at this time. It will be wonderful to celebrate seventy years next year.

I am quite sure she will be Queen until she dies.

Other senior members of the RF are already doing many engagements as always.

No need for abdication or retirement.

There has only been one abdication since 1066 and that was Edward V111th. Only three monarchs have not been crowned, Edward Vth, Jane Grey, and Edward V111th, but each of these became monarch after the death of their predecessor. Charles cannot be king until the Queen dies unless she abdicates which is highly unlikely. He can however,take over more and more of her duties, but for Charles to be created Prince Regent the Queen would, under the 1937 regency act have to be totally incapacitated like George 111rd. As she is clearly isn't there will be no reason for a regency, so I expect things will stay as they are.

She will probably be Queen until she dies. In future years and perhaps less able as she gets older her tasks will be taken over by other members of the RF but she will remain the Queen.

It’s no different to farming. Many farmers never ‘retire’.

The number of very elderly ‘farmers’ who don’t actually do any of the work, it being done by younger family members probably, but the old chap is still head of the clan, and is
viewed as being ‘in charge’ until he dies.

The Queen will never retire, abdicate, whatever you want to call it. So what if other family members carry on doing the role?

When she vowed to do it whether her whole life be long or short, there was no ‘but I’ll pack up when I get to pension age’.

Why can’t it just be “retirement” rather than “abdication?”

And why couldn’t Charles or Will open things /make speeches /wave /chat to the prime minister /host banquets ? They’re reasonably intelligent human beings.

suziewoozie

I think it’s incredibly arrogant and self obsessed to think you have to carry on regardless. It’s almost as if she believes in the ‘divine right of kings’.

I think to a degree she does believe that. She certainly believes she is God’s anointed.

Ngaio1

HM will never abdicate - think of the fuss when her Uncle did. (Strange - there was an American woman involved it that!) It will be that she is seen less and less and |Charles will take on more of her role. She was brought up to believe in duty. (Americans please note.).

Nice bit of prejudice there.

Alegrias your post of 14:28 - I now have an image in my head of the Queen tucking a 73yo Prince Charles into bed each night.

My grandad worked up PT until illness stopped him, six weeks before he died, at the age of 84. My dad worked PT until he was 73. They enjoyed it.

Nobody on here has mentioned a Republic except the Monarchists. Most of us are talking about why an elderly lady is still in post 29 years after she could have claimed her state pension.

You don't to have been crowned to be King. Ask Edward VIII.

Brilliant idea, a pandemic, let’s have a coronation to brighten
things up. Bad luck the heads of the commonwealth can’t attend.

She made a promise, her life long or short etc, nothing to do with divine right of kings , she made that promise . If she became ill she can still remain queen and Charles Prince Regent.

The Queen is extremely popular and, more importantly, well -respected world wide so naturally the so called republicans want her to step down. She is also extremely competent.

I think she is wonderful and keeping to her promise.
She is of sound mind and body so why should she stop doing what she clearly loves,that in it`s self could be the death of her.
God bless her.

Maybe the Queen is undecided on who is going to make a better job of where she leaves off ?

Whether she's undecided or not, we know who is coming after her. That's how it works.

I can see clearly Pantglas.

Sorry, not the last 2 - it moved on while I was typing!

The last 2 posts - I said this on another thread, so I'm repeating myself a bit. The word "abdication" obviously has a significant meaning for her but other monarchs have abdicated, and their countries have not fallen apart. Even the Pope retired, and he's ordained by God.

And the vow she made about being of service, didn't say she would be Queen forever. Maybe the best service she could do is to hand over to Charles and be there to see him "bed in" so to speak.

The Duke of Edinburgh set an example by retiring gracefully and the Queen can too if she so chooses. Unity and integrity are a tad lacking in the state just now so she isn’t representing that.

Because they want to and because they can EllanVannin! I know, I don’t understand it either!

Some people think that only certain folks should be allowed to do so and the RF shouldn’t!

The Queen is deemed too old to be our figurehead (let’s not not call it work or it will trigger some poor soul) and should resign in favour of Charles (who’s 73 this year and probably also too old).

So we come to William, who will be deemed too young and inexperienced...so actually, let’s get rid of them altogether!

How’s that for predicting where this one’s heading!

She made a vow saying that the whole of her life, “whether it be long or short” would be devoted to the service of her people. She is not the type to break a vow unless, of course, ill-health forces her to. She probably didn’t think her life would be quite so long!

I think she’s fine for now.

HM will never abdicate - think of the fuss when her Uncle did. (Strange - there was an American woman involved it that!) It will be that she is seen less and less and |Charles will take on more of her role. She was brought up to believe in duty. (Americans please note.).